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Afghan massacre suspect Sgt Bales 'remembers little' | |
(about 17 hours later) | |
The US soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians in their homes remembers "very little" of the incident, his lawyer has said. | |
John Henry Browne made the comments after he met Staff Sgt Robert Bales at a US army prison for the first time. | |
The killings have undermined US relations with Kabul and led to calls for Nato to speed up their planned withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. | |
Sgt Bales, 38, is being held in solitary confinement pending charges. | Sgt Bales, 38, is being held in solitary confinement pending charges. |
He arrived at the military detention centre in Kansas on Friday after being flown from Kuwait, the US Army said. Formal charges are expected within the week. | He arrived at the military detention centre in Kansas on Friday after being flown from Kuwait, the US Army said. Formal charges are expected within the week. |
Sgt Bales is the only known suspect in the killings - despite repeated Afghan assertions that more than one American was involved. | Sgt Bales is the only known suspect in the killings - despite repeated Afghan assertions that more than one American was involved. |
His wife, Karilyn, has issued a statement expressing her condolences to the victims and their families and saying what reportedly took place is "completely out of character of the man I know and admire". | |
'Emotional' meeting | |
Mr Browne met his client at Fort Leavenworth on Monday to begin preparing his defence. | |
He told the Associated Press that Sgt Bales had "some memory of some things that happened" in the early hours of 11 March. | |
"He has some memories of before the incident and he has some memories of after the incident. In between, very little," Mr Browne said. | |
Pressed on whether Sgt Bales could remember anything about the shooting, Mr Browne said, "No," but added: "I haven't gotten that far with him yet." | |
Mr Browne was more unequivocal earlier, telling CBS News Sgt Bales "doesn't have memory" of the alleged massacre. | |
He also played down Sgt Bales' consumption of alcohol on the nights of the killings, saying he had had a "couple of sips of something but he didn't have a full drink". | |
Earlier, Mr Browne described his meeting with his client as "emotional". | |
"What's going on on the ground in Afghanistan, you read about it, I read about it, but it's totally different when you hear about it from somebody who's been there," Mr Browne told AP. | |
He suggested his client was not fit to serve because of injuries he had suffered on previous tours of duty. | |
Mr Browne has represented a number of high-profile clients including serial killer Ted Bundy and a teenage thief known as the Barefoot Bandit. | Mr Browne has represented a number of high-profile clients including serial killer Ted Bundy and a teenage thief known as the Barefoot Bandit. |
In her media statement, Karilyn Bales said she too wanted to know what happened and "know how this could be". | |
She said the Afghan victims and their families "are all in my prayers, as is my husband, who I love very much". | |
Bales' 'troubles' | |
The sergeant's past brushes with the law included charges for assault and fleeing a car accident. | The sergeant's past brushes with the law included charges for assault and fleeing a car accident. |
Sgt Bales paid fines in both cases and had to attend anger management classes for the assault, after which the charges were dropped. | Sgt Bales paid fines in both cases and had to attend anger management classes for the assault, after which the charges were dropped. |
He and his wife had reportedly struggled to make the payments on two properties they had bought. | |
It has now also emerged that - along with another man and his company - Sgt Bales owed a reported $1.5m (£950,000) from an arbitration ruling nearly a decade ago which found him guilty of securities fraud while he was working as a stockbroker. | |
The Pentagon has previously said that Sgt Bales could face charges that carry a possible death penalty. | The Pentagon has previously said that Sgt Bales could face charges that carry a possible death penalty. |
Such a trial could take years, contrasting with Afghan demands for swift and decisive justice. | Such a trial could take years, contrasting with Afghan demands for swift and decisive justice. |
The Taliban called off peace talks in the wake of the deadly rampage, in which men, women and children were shot and killed at close range. |